Edmonton Eskimos will need to address offensive at CFL draft

Edmonton Eskimos head scout Ed Hervey, general manager Eric Tillman and head coach Kavis Reed preapare for the start of the 2012 CFL draft at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, on May 3, 2012. (IAN KUCERAK/QMI AGENCY)

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Gerry Moddejonge, Edmonton Sun

Jun 19, 2014

, Last Updated: 11:16 PM ET

The CFL's college draft takes place next week, and after giving up a staggering 60 quarterback sacks in 2013, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that addressing their offensive line's woes continues to be one of the club's top priorities.

Of course, as we saw last year, priorities don't always result in progress.

This time last year, new GM Ed Hervey promised and delivered a dramatic facelift to the offensive line. Canadian Greg Wojt was traded to Hamilton, where he became a CFL all-star. Long-time Canadian starting center Kyle Koch was released on the eve of training camp and now plays for the Toronto Argonauts. American offensive tackle Joel Bell was released, too. A few weeks later, highly regarded young Canadian Carson Rockhill, who had been viewed as the centerpiece in the Wojt trade with Hamilton, was released and immediately signed with — you guessed it — the Ticats.

By the end of the 2013 season, the Eskimos had started three different centers